After Rei and the rest of the guerrilla force were returning to the rebel camp to report their results, silence engulfed the tent where the rebel leaders had gathered.
Those who didn’t know Rei’s plan couldn’t understand what he was saying. Some looked at him, questioning how he could have achieved such results and wondering if he was lying.
They fully understood how strong Rei was, but even knowing that, it was an unbelievable result.
「H-How……how did you achieve such a result!?」
「That’s right. I know Rei-dono’s strength well enough. But to achieve such results without even allowing the enemy to retreat……I can’t believe it! Ah, no. Of course, I’m not saying Rei-dono is lying.」
The noble’s gaze wasn’t directed at Rei, but at Pernyx, who was standing behind Rei.
If Rei had been the only one to report it, some people would have insisted that it was impossible.
But with additional testimony from one of Theorem’s subordinates, Theorem being the effective commander of the rebel army, there was little room for doubt.
No, there were still those who were skeptical, but none of them dared to voice their thoughts.
It was easy to see that saying that out loud now would lead to many unpleasant situations.
「……As expected of Crimson.」
「Yeah. I had heard the plan, but I never thought it would actually achieve such results.」
In contrast to those who were confused, there were also those who were talking to each other calmly.
Those were the people who had been informed of the plan in advance.
Rei had said it wasn’t much of a plan, and in fact, the nobles didn’t think it was a good plan either.
Still, it was a fact that Rei had annihilated close to the entire punitive force. Considering the results, the plan was no longer a point of issue.
Even if the plan had been basic, if the person who carried it out had extraordinary power, the results would still be very good.
Realising this, they had no choice but to once again recognise the extraordinary power that Rei held.
「……This is crazy……」
「This is a lie, right?」
「No way……no way……」
Some were surprised by Rei’s results while those that new the plan looked pleased with the results.
The people in the tent were generally divided into these two camps, but there were also some who didn’t have either of those reactions.
……Yes. These were the people who had originally been planning to betray the rebel army in the middle of the battle with the punitive force.
Naturally, the three nobles had no idea what methods Rei had planned to use against the punitive force, but they certainly hadn’t expected the results that had occurred.
「As expected. You’re stronger than I had heard.」
「That’s right. I guess you were holding back when we fought. Next time we fight, you’ll have to get serious.」
Mercurio spoke with admiration as he smiled and Gurgast nodded in agreement.
However, Gurgast’s smile wasn’t the same as Mercurio’s. It would be better to describe it as a ferocious smile, like a carnivore facing its prey.
「Oh, that’s sly of you. You fought Rei last time, so it’s my turn next, right?」
Vihera called out to stop Gurgast. It was true that she had feelings for Rei, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t fight him.
She hadn’t fought Rei for a while, so was feeling a bit pent up.
……That said, when saying pent up, it didn’t mean it in the normal sense, but rather a build of a desire to fight.
Watching the exchange between the two, Tillyele looked at Rei with a surprised but understanding expression.
As the person who Vihera, whom he admired, had fallen in love with, Rei should be able to do at least this much.
If anything, Tillyele felt that Rei lost points for not fully annihilating the punitive force.
Even Vihera felt saddened by the loss of life of people from the Bestir Empire, but Tillyele didn’t feel too bad about it himself.
The difference in their feelings could be attributed to the difference between someone who was simply enraptured by Vihera and someone who deeply admired her.
「So……what about the captured supplies?」
Among the many excited people, Theorem asked calmly.
Vihera and the others had already seen Rei’s strength with their own eyes, so they weren’t particularly surprised by Rei’s feat.
Rei himself seemed to understand this too. He spoke as if it were nothing, despite the gazes of admiration directed towards him……
「It’s all in the Misty Ring. I can take it out at any time……should I take them out?」
「Yes, that would be good. I’ll bring you to the location after the meeting, so please do it then.」
「But, as promised, regarding the spears.」
「I know.」
A short exchange of words.
Rei had requested many unreasonable things from the rebel army for this night raid.
For example, the horses ridden by the members of the guerrilla force.
All the horses were first rate or better. It was true that providing them put a considerable burden on the rebel army.
One of the conditions for them to provide the horses to Rei was that he had to hand over the supplies he obtained from the punitive force.
Although that said, most of the supplies Rei had obtained were nothing special.
As per his discussion with Theorem, as long as he could keep all the spears, he didn’t mind giving the rest to the rebel army.
The supplies included silver, gold, and even platinum coins to purchase supplies from the surrounding towns and villages in the case of an emergency, but it wasn’t like Rei was short on money.
He had already earned enough to live comfortably for the rest of his life.
……Although considering Rei’s lifespan, it probably wasn’t enough.
If the supplies seized from the punitive force were handed over to the rebel army, not only would it be Rei’s achievement, it would be the guerrilla force’s achievement as well.
Rei himself still felt reluctant about leading a unit, but it was still a unit that people close to him, like Theorem, had put a lot of effort into it.
Having worked on this operation together, it wasn’t like he didn’t feel a certain sense of solidarity with them.
And, if the guerrilla forces achieved success, it would naturally affect their compensation and treatment.
(Well, they are my troops, even if only for the duration of the civil war. I made them fight the punitive force with just 30 people, so it’s not bad to give them a good reward.)
After that, Rei and Pernyx explained how the night attack had been carried out and how the battle had come to an end. Eventually, the conversation turned to Sobble, the only prisoner taken in the battle.
「Sobble. He’s known as one of the most capable people among Kabajid’s direct subordinates.」
When Mercurio said that, the other rebel leaders voiced their opinions.
「We should kill him!」
「No, wait. He’s still an effective tool against Prince Kabajid. We should use him as bait to negotiate with Prince Kabajid……」
「That’s no use. Prince Kabajid might have a merciful side towards his subordinates. But he’s also someone who can easily discard them if necessary.」
「But, speaking of Sobble, he’s said to be a powerful person, even among the First Prince’s subordinates. Would he throw away someone like that so easily?」
「Of course he would.」
Mercurio interrupted the rebel leaders, the nobles, adventurers, and mercenaries.
Mercurio usually had a lighthearted air around him, but there was strength like steel in his words.
Everyone turned to look at Mercurio.
Vihera had a hint of sadness in her eyes, Theorem nodded in understanding, and Tillyele, Gurgast, and Rei showed no change in their expressions.
The other nobles looked back in shock.
「Kabajid will not hesitate to make any sacrifice he deems necessary to win. Placing me under house arrest is one example of that. However, it seems that rumours spread after that and things played out completely different than what was originally planned.」
Once the civil war began, he had a vague idea of who had spread the rumours.
If he considered who was happiest with the resulting situation, the answer was close at hand.
Realising that his thoughts had wandered for a moment, Mercurio shook his head before continuing.
「Shurus holds a strong affection for his subordinates, so negotiations might still be possible. But with Kabajid, it’s safe to say that negotiations are impossible. If it were just a noble who was from his faction rather than a direct subordinate, it might have been different.」
Mercurio cast a quick glance towards Rei.
However, his gaze seemed more amused than reproachful.
One noble, following Mercurio’s gaze, spoke to Rei.
「Rei-dono, don’t you think it would have been better to take a noble prisoner rather than someone like Sobble?」
Even as he asked that, he was thinking about Rei’s track record and ability to annihilate the punitive force with 30 people, though it was essentially on his own.
The noble was mostly asking for the sake of wanting to know rather than blaming Rei in any way.
Rei responded without any change in his expression.
「The battlefield was less than a day away from the Imperial Capital. It was a mission deep into the sphere of influence of the enemy. Naturally, this means that we couldn’t take many prisoners. It was really just a coincidence that we captured Sobble. He fell off his horse during an attack by the guerrilla force as he was escaping the camp……is that right?」
Rei glanced over to Pernyx, who was standing behind him, and Pernyx nodded back.
「Yes. It wasn’t intentional, it was really just by chance.」
「……I see. I understand why you didn’t take any nobles prisoner and captured Sobble instead. If that’s the case……I guess it couldn’t be helped.」
「Yes. Also, according to the information we have, many of the nobles who participated in the punitive force are third or fourth sons and were unlikely to inherit their family title.」
「I suppose so. If they were a second son, they would at least be treated fairly as a back up to the eldest son……」
The other nobles nodded in agreement to Pernyx’s words.
Naturally, the majority of the rebel leaders were nobles.
This was only natural considering that the forces led by Theorem belonged to the Third Prince’s faction as well as the former Second Princess’ faction that Vihera had recruited.
As nobles, Pernyx’s words made sense to them.
It made less sense for the adventurers and mercenaries present.
An awkward atmosphere started to spread through the magic tent and Tilleyle spoke up to break it.
「Anyway, it is true that the rebel army has won another battle……and it was a crushing victory. This victory was so great that it might even determine the outcome of the civil war. Because of that, I propose that this victory be reported throughout the Bestir Empire.」
「I see. It certainly is a big deal for the rebel army to win battle after battle. Mercurio-sama, I also think Tilleyle’s opinion should be adopted. What do you think?」
When Theorem asked, Mercurio nodded without any hesitation.
「That’s right. This will definitely be a big boost for us. Besides, the next punitive force will be unable to set out for a while because of this.」
「True. It will be hard for Shurus to negotiate a ransom with the nobles from his faction and Kabajid needs to restore his fighting strength as the punitive force he sent out this time was annihilated. As for Frizione……」
Rei guessed what Vihera was thinking as she smiled meaningfully.
They must have accepted her offer to join them, as per the letter Widele had delivered.
Seeing Rei’s reaction, Vihera realised that he had guess Mercurio’s thoughts and gave him a small smile.
(Since Shurus and Kabajid are unable to move, now is the time to join up with Frizione. However, of course, the rebel army can’t send a large force to help her escape from the Imperial Capital……so the key is someone with strong individual strength.)
Vihera turned her eyes towards Gurgast, Theorem……and Rei.
(Since Theorem is in charge of the rebel army, he can’t leave. In that case, that leaves me, Gurgast, and Rei……I’m a little worried that we’re all fairly well known in the Imperial Capital.)
Considering that the early stages of the civil war had ended and things had started heading for the middle stages, Vihera gave a bright smile, looking forward to fighting stronger opponents, contrary to her inner thoughts.